Customer Reviews

Memoirs of an Unfit Mother

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I absolutely loved this book. There can be no doubt that I do love the style of Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link. She has captivated me by her presnece and british quick-wit style. Some would take her as "The Queen of Mean", a hostile woman with no feeling, but this book has proven that myth wrong. Though she feels she has given her daughter a poor upbringing, and the guilt of this weighs still on her mind, she has proven herself to be very loving, and very much like your everyday, shop-aholic, hard working mother, daughter, sister, and friend. One could only be very blessed to know her personally. She could only give excitement to your life. I could not put this book down, I had to have it surgically removed from my fingers! :)
I hope she will continue to write, she has an especially wonderful sense of the english language, as being in journalism for over 30 years, and she has all her chairs in place. (As one would need to, to be a journalist, and hostess to The Weakest Link.) As a young woman, I could very much identify with her, and felt I had a friend as I turned each page.

Despite the eerie physical resemblance to her equally popular English sorcerer counterpart, this is not a book you may want your young children reading. "Memoirs" chronicles the fascinating (and, at times, brutally honest) life of Anne Robinson from life as a young girl with a bullying career-driven mother through her own rocky personal life but wildly successful professional career. Americans may only know Robinson from television's "The Weakest Link." But Robinson is no overnight success. Here we discover the decades she spent working her way up the ranks of Fleet Street and the BBC. Robinson also offers some many insights on two other famous Britain women of the time, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the late Princess Diana.

The memoir does a lot to dispel Robinson's image as just a nasty, insult-slinging witch. One certainly has sympathy for Robinson's struggles and respect for her ability to ultimately prevail time and time again. Nevertheless, Robinson is one tough lady and, like her game show persona, someone you would want to be on your side. All and all, "Memoirs" offers insights into the undeniable legacy of parents and the incredibly difficult balancing act between family and work - themes that should appeal even to those who are not fans of "The Weakest Link."

I always watch "The Weakest Link" here in Europe with sort of a fist in my mouth - how can that woman be so horrible to people, and what an utter delight it is when someone gets one up on her. This biography talks not only about the way in which a truly dedicated woman got to the top of her field, but also about the way in which this "unfit mother" really did turn out to be a wonderful mother, with a wonderful daughter and with a wonderful relationship with said daughter. I suppose that Anne Robinson must be feeling sort of like Boris Karloff these days - he wasn't really Frankenstein's monster, and she isn't really the iron-fisted dominatrix of the television show. I read every word with great pleasure, and I recommend the book to everyone. The reason for four instead of five stars is that there are about three paragraphs in the whole book about "The Weakest Link". I really would have wanted to hear a lot more about the author's thoughts about what is a phenomenal show. Other than that, though, it was a great, great read.

In this brisk, mostly no-nonsense book, Ms. Robinson lays out her life like a feature story in the Sunday Times. She paints a witty portrait of her mother (who deserves her own book), a domineering, beautifully dressed, luxury-loving, hard driving businesswoman and a protective overbearing mother. Interestingly, this description fits author Anne like a glove.

In affairs of the heart, Anne calls herself a "belligerent doormat." I loved this phrase! I doubt that many of her long-term love interests would have agreed with the "doormat" part, but she felt/feels she takes to heart every criticism made of her and goes into a passive/aggressive mode. Though she seems very bare bones honest in reporting her emotional entanglements, there are strange gaps. For instance, how in the world did she make her second husband-to-be so angry with her that he testified against her in the custody trial for her daughter?

"Memoirs--" is worth the price if for no other reason than Ms. Robinson's honest and bleak reporting of her crippling alcoholism and how she gradually climbed out of this life-threatening spiral of devastation. And it did ruin her career and almost kill her. Interestingly, Ms. Robinson, though she spares herself very little, is a champion grudge holder. She clearly has never forgiven the court for the judgment that caused her to lose custody of her daughter. Yet at the time, she was a non-functional alcoholic who was totally undependable.

She turned her life around big time, and went on to become a highly successful reporter, radio and TV personality, which I found quite inspiring. I admit I have not yet seen "The Weakest Link," but now cannot wait to see her. I am sure Ms. Robinson can triumph in any and all situations. The book is well written, just what you would expect of a top-flight reporter. She has an excellent, if acerbic, sense of humor that makes her story even more enjoyable.

I bought the book yesterday and can already say that I love it. Anne Robinson sheds the "Host from Hell" image and reveals sensitive and touching stories about her roles as daughter, mother, wife, journalist and pop icon. A must-read for all "Weakest Link" fans. Goodbye!

I have listened to this book on CD's not once but twice. Anne Robinson reads her work and does it with wit, sadness, honesty, and intelligence.

She pulled out all stops and doesn't give herself any slack. I found myself laughing in parts and even crying in parts. She talks about her life from childhood to the present and her success on The Weakest Link.

She's my hero!

This woman is human! You can relate to her in so many ways. Bravo to Annie for turning her life around and regaining the daughter she lost! The reader can feel the pain she experienced when she lost her daughter and when she lost her mother to Alzheimer's. Liverpool is vividly depicted and you will journey with Anne on her bumpy road to success. This book is about pursuing dreams and overcoming the obstacles to make it happen. You only wish you had someone like Anne to advise you on life. She tells it like it is without any whitewash on herself.

This book is very well written, but the emphasis is not on Anne's alcoholism as you might think - more is writen about her career and how many jobs she's had, I lost track a number of times for the first quarter of the book, however, it is written from her heart and I think she's a very brave lady to let the world read this book given how famous she is. It takes you from the depths of her life right through to what she has achieved today. She has certainly earned what she's got now!

If you think you know all there is to know about Ms. Robinson, then you obviously haven't read her book: "Memoirs of an Unfit Mother".

I found this to be one of the few - in a large selection of books - that I could not put down. In this autobiography, Ms. Robinson describes her early years as a young girl in Liverpool to working at a newpaper on Fleet Street. The difficulty she experienced as a woman, unprepared for marriage, and the heartbreak of losing a daughter. Her battle with alcoholism, and her comeback to the newspaper business.

Ms. Robinson has lead a roller coaster of a life, and it's not over yet. Whether you love or hate her, there's no doubt we'll be seeing more of her, and I for one hope it will be for quite a long while. She may be the Queen of Mean, but she's quite a lady.

I disagree with the Library Review's comment: "Only die-hard fans of Robinson will find this even mildly interesting." I am not a die-hard fan, but I could not put this book down. It is refreshing and even exhilarating to hear someone being honest about their own faults, especially when everyone nowadays wants to be the victim. Robinson does just that, pointing out that obviously her mother contributed to her life in negative ways as in positive ways, but her mother did not make her a drunk and her mother did not get her dry. Anne got to both of those locations herself, and candidly describes each journey. After reading this book, I HAVE found myself to admire this lady and even want to emulate her in many respects. I believe anyone with an open attitude towards her would have to say the same. Evidently the Library Reviewer was already predisposed to disliking Anne Robinson--a bad predisposition for journalists, in my opinion!